Blank ancestral tablet made of wood and painted in red and gold. The base has a carving of a qilin.
Chinese people believe that once a person dies the soul of the person continues to exist. Each person's soul is thought to exist in the grave as well as in an ancestral tablet. Originally ancestors were remembered by carrying out sacrifices. Through these acts of worship, families believed their ancestors would bless and protect them. If the family failed to honour their ancestors by neglecting them, it was thought that the ancestors would bring their living relatives "misfortunes and calamity". Many Chinese families perform the practice of ancestor worship still today. There is a room or section of the house where the ancestor shrine is located. The shrine holds the ancestral tablet, which is a narrow wooden tablet about twelve inches tall with the name of the relative written on it. Incense and daily offerings are placed in front of the tablet in honour of the ancestor.
